National
Union of Journalist (UK) passes resolution to boycott Iranian state TV and
radio network
On March 31 the National Union of Journalist passed the following resolution condemning the press closures in Iran and calling for an international boycott of the official radio-television network (IRIB). This was the latest victory in a campaign which was launched by The Workers Left Unity (Iran) and iran bulletin last year [1].
The National Union of Journalists Annual Delegate Meeting in Scarborough, Yorkshire, applauded guest speaker from Workers Left Unity (Iran), who said: Thirty-five newspapers have been closed and now we fear that repression will be intensified. She said Islamic conservatives are terrified of the nascent democracy that has been expressed in print media and are using the IRIB as a weapon against it. The NUJ's general secretary, is to protest officially to the Iranian government about bans on newspapers and jailings of journalists, the meeting decided.
The meeting also remitted to the NUJ Executive for further action a proposal from the Edinburgh & District branch to initiate a campaign of non-cooperation with the IRIB, including denying the IRIB access to international news, sport and entertainment media, and to satellite broadcasting.
The executive's policy committee is in discussion with broadcasting sector members about implementing the campaign.
Note: a Persian language text of the NUJ's resolution is available.
Resolutions
1:
This ADM notes that since the end of April 2000, at least 22 Iranian newspapers and journals have been closed down on the orders of the Press Court of Iran. Over 2,000 journalists and other employees have lost their jobs, and many well known journalists and editors have been arrested. Some were released only after colleagues collected the astronomical sums imposed as a condition of bail.
Attacks on the press and arrests of journalists have continued daily, in an open challenge "unsurpassed in the last 21 years" to the right to freedom of speech and expression and to access to information. These attacks attempt to reverse the liberalisation of the last two years and gravely endanger the process of social change in Iran.
This ADM instructs the NEC to use whatever means at its disposal to allow the voice of Iranian journalists to be heard outside and, even more importantly, inside Iran. This campaign should include representations to the Iranian government to demand:
1. The immediate lifting of all illegal bans on publications
2. The unconditional release of all imprisoned journalists
3. An end to the campaign of intimidation of the press.
Resolutions
2 (addendum to resolution 1):
It further instructs the NEC to ask NUJ members in Britain and, in conjunction with the IFJ, journalists in other countries outside Iran, not to co-operate with the Islamic Republic's state broadcasting network (IRIB), a tool of the ultra-conservative faction in Iran. This would include denying the IRIB access to international news, sport and entertainment media, and to satellite broadcasting.
The background to this resolution was the closure of some 40 newspapers, journals and weeklies since April 2000 in Iran. A large number of journalists have been imprisoned and some 2000 journalists and newspaper workers have been made redundant. The attempts of Iranian journalists to set up a trade union lie in ruins. Many of the papers closed reported on controversial issue such as child poverty, street children, prostituting and drug addiction in Iran, and some of those arrested were investigative journalists looking into serial political murders, murders that the Intelligence Ministry admits its so called "rogue" agents carried out.
One of the most significant political changes in Iran over the last 3 years was the opening up of newspapers and journals. This phenomenon played an important role in the relative, opening of the political atmosphere of the country. In the 20 years since the revolution any political organisation outside the state, and all trade union activity were banned. Any one who had ever expressed political opposition to the religious state were either imprisoned, executed or forced into exile or otherwise silenced. The press given limited freedom acted as quasi-political parties.
The state radio-television network (IRIB), under the direct control of the ultra-reactionary factions of the regime, has a long history of co-operation with state repression. Working with the intelligence ministry, IRIB made and showed films of false confessions by political activist, writers and journalists obtained under torture. Serial programmes such as Hovviat vilified many well known writers and intellectuals [2]. Iran's Islamic regime has used the IRIB for justifying its repressive policies, and even the extrajudicial murder of dissidents, despite protest by journalists and employees in this sector.
The Voice and Vision of
the Islamic Republic is central to the policy of repression masterminded by the
ruling ultra-conservative factions. With the impending presidential elections
the ultra-conservatives threatened to re-run the
program "hovviat".
This they did on May 16.
On Wednesday May 16, "Hovviat" went on the air again by the IRIB. It showed the "confessions" by student activist Ali Afshari, who was arrested three months ago and held incomunicado since. At the request of the Workers Left Unity Iran, the National Union released the following statement:
Iranian
TV condemned as "accessory to torture"
The National Union of Journalists of Britain and Ireland has condemned the broadcast on Iran's state TV of "confessions" from political prisoners.
The Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting corporation (IRIB) aired a "confession" by Ali Afshari, head of a student protest group who was arrested five months ago during university protests against dictatorship. He appeared on the programme Hoviyat on 16 May. IRIB reported that he had requested the interview to "spell out his mistakes, such as his obsession with politics, excessive self-reliance and non-distinction of ideas".
NUJ General Secretary John Foster: "This broadcast was a travesty of journalism. This young man has been imprisoned is likely to have suffered psychological torture. Those journalists who presented this interview as fact are acting as accessories to the
abuse of judicial and human rights.
"All journalists should be concerned about this type of behaviour -the more so since Iran's independent media has suffered large-scale repression, making it impossible for journalists to present an opposite point of view.
"At our recent annual delegate meeting we expressed support for those Iranian journalists struggling to re-establish a free media. We are also looking at the issue of organising a boycott of the IRIB, the only treatment they deserve from honest journalists the world over."
NUJ
statement. May 17, 2001
On
behalf of imprisoned and silenced Iranian Journalists we ask of you:
To
encourage trade-unionists – both in the press and other unions – to join this
campaign and isolate those who are hoping to silence the Iranian people into
submission.
Help
in extending this important campaign in any form you think may be effective.
To
send your support for the resolution of the NUJ to the following address: Tim
Gopsill email: timg@nuj.org.uk, Fax 0207
837 8143
Editorial Board, iran bulletin
Footnotes
1. see iran bulletin no 27-28 Winter 2000
2. iran bulletin no 14, Winter 1996